Transportation ...
Getting around Saratov has been a learning experience. There is no subway here, but there are trolleys, buses and marshrutky. Marshrutky are a cross between a bus and a taxi - they have a fixed route, but if you can communicate well with the driver they will let you off wherever you would like. The public transportation is very inexpensive - Marshrutky cost 10 R per person and buses / trolleys are 7 R per person. (25-30 cents per ride). We tend to travel on the buses and trolleys because we are more likely to all fit on. The marshutky can only accommodate 10-11 people, so if they are full we all may not fit. The main struggle we have had with the public transportation is that there are no published route maps. So my trusty runner husband will often run to our destination, scope out the buses / trolleys and marshrutky numbers for ones that we are familiar with and then we can board them with some confidence that we will get to where we need to go! It is always an adventure. The kids have been adventurous with the transportation. We are fortunate that we are located near the city center so it is easy to catch most of the buses and trolleys that we need!
Our other main form of transportation is, of course, our feet. As I mentioned earlier we are quite near to many places. Socialism (local grocery) is only a few blocks away, as is the covered market. We are only a few blocks away from a pedestrian street (Kirova). This street is pleasant to walk on - they keep it cleared of ice and snow (as best they can) and it is lined with shops and street sellers. I was amazed to see people standing on the street all day it bitter cold weather selling their wares, Brrrr!
Of course navigating the streets in winter has been challenging. The roofs are shoveled but not the streets! People will occasionally attack the ice and pick away at it and there will be huge chunks of ice piled on the sidewalk. (See photo) We discovered that in some places we are walking on about a foot of ice on the sidewalk.
Getting around Saratov has been a learning experience. There is no subway here, but there are trolleys, buses and marshrutky. Marshrutky are a cross between a bus and a taxi - they have a fixed route, but if you can communicate well with the driver they will let you off wherever you would like. The public transportation is very inexpensive - Marshrutky cost 10 R per person and buses / trolleys are 7 R per person. (25-30 cents per ride). We tend to travel on the buses and trolleys because we are more likely to all fit on. The marshutky can only accommodate 10-11 people, so if they are full we all may not fit. The main struggle we have had with the public transportation is that there are no published route maps. So my trusty runner husband will often run to our destination, scope out the buses / trolleys and marshrutky numbers for ones that we are familiar with and then we can board them with some confidence that we will get to where we need to go! It is always an adventure. The kids have been adventurous with the transportation. We are fortunate that we are located near the city center so it is easy to catch most of the buses and trolleys that we need!
Our other main form of transportation is, of course, our feet. As I mentioned earlier we are quite near to many places. Socialism (local grocery) is only a few blocks away, as is the covered market. We are only a few blocks away from a pedestrian street (Kirova). This street is pleasant to walk on - they keep it cleared of ice and snow (as best they can) and it is lined with shops and street sellers. I was amazed to see people standing on the street all day it bitter cold weather selling their wares, Brrrr!
Of course navigating the streets in winter has been challenging. The roofs are shoveled but not the streets! People will occasionally attack the ice and pick away at it and there will be huge chunks of ice piled on the sidewalk. (See photo) We discovered that in some places we are walking on about a foot of ice on the sidewalk.
Now that spring is here melting / falling ice is becoming a problem. Ken was walking to the University and saw some ice fall off of a roof onto wooden steps. It came down with such force that the steps broke. A man has died this winter from falling ice. We are quickly learning to walk very close to the street and to check out roof tops as we walk.
We have had a couple of warm days and things are melting rapidly creating a walking nightmare. The streets are rivers of muddy water and the sidewalks are not much better. We are very thankful for our sturdy, waterproof boots.
Russians seem to take all of this in stride - they race up and down the icy streets (rarely falling), they sit in ever present traffic jams and wade through muddy intersections without missing a beat. Getting around has truly been an adventure, but I'm proud to say that we are learning our way around Saratov (OK - Ken is learning his way and we are going along for the ride)!
Katie and I will have our first adventure together today. We are meeting our friend Maria who is an English tutor to two girls Katie's age. We are going to let the girls talk together and are hoping to have some friendships emerge!
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